Roche A Perdrix

Grant’s Route 5.8: Big Thanks for Craig Hartmetz for providing a detailed description of this route. It deserves more ascents, it’s a good line.

Route Name

Diduck’s Corner (new guidebook calls it “Grant’s Route”)

Route Length

250 m

Elevation Gain

1100 m [3600 ft]

Anchors

Mix of bolts & pins. All bolts are ⅜” and are in good shape. The route is not set for rappelling. Each station has at least two fixed pins or bolts.

Rack

Gear to 2”, doubles of 0.75, 1.0 & 2.0 cams are very useful.

Extra Equipment

Hexes could potentially substitute for some of the doubled cams. Consider bringing a hammer to test & replace pins.

Description

This route climbs the obvious large left-facing corner on the west face of Mt. Roche a Perdrix. As you drive east on Highway 16, look for the largest corner on the face, trending slightly right, with the slab on its left getting wider as one goes up. The photo in the new guidebook is accurate.The route follows the corner for the entirety of the route. The climbing is a mix of jamming, stemming and pinching water runnels, and ends with an offwidth/chimney at the top. The climbing difficulty is sustained for the majority of each pitch.

Approach

Park at the quarry just outside the park gates, at the bottom of the big hill. Hike up the righthand side of the ridge on a trail, eventually gaining the crest of the ridge. Stay on the crest and pass the trail veering left (this trail is the hiking route to the top). Stay on the ridge until below the Chimney Route, where travel on the ridge becomes markedly more difficult.Traverse right onto the west face, walking on ledges and generally aiming for a large tree patch on the face. Scramble up to this tree patch, cross it, and continue following the “ramp” on the face to where two pitons mark the start of the route.

P1 (35 m)

Climb broken ground past a fixed pin, then move into the corner. Climb through a small roof, leaving the corner at a bolt on your left. Move left and upwards to a 2-piton belay.

P2 (40 m)

Climb up from the belay and into the corner. Follow the corner to a prominent ledge on your right. Step right on the ledge to a 2-bolt belay.

P3 (50 m)

Leave the belay, returning to the corner. Climb the corner & water runnel to its left (stemming). The climbing gets slightly easier after ~30 m. Belay on the right.

P4 (60m)

Climb the corner over easy ground. Pass a 2-piton belay. Climb the corner to where it widens out. Belay on a 2-pin setup (small angle and under-driven knifeblade) right near where the corner turns to offwidth (about 5-10 m below a bolt on the lefthand slab). This belay is at 59 m of rope length, and no pro was placed at the bottom of the pitch. If you sew up the bottom, it may make this a rope-stretcher. This belay leaves your belayer exposed to rockfall on the next pitch – consider moving it 10 m down on a small ledge.

P5 (40 m)

Climb out of the belay and stem through the start of the offwidth, passing a bolt on your left. Get in the crack and offwidth your way upwards. When you reach a red piton, look for a 1-bolt / 2-piton belay station on your right. Belay at this station (hanging).

P6 (30 m)

Climb easy ground to a short offwidth section, then more easy ground to the top. Belay in a horizontal crack about 6 m towards the summit from the top of the route. This crack took 0.5 & 0.75 cams quite nicely.

Descent

Either walk off down the east face (follow cairns & flagging tape), or walk down the top of the ridge to the top of the Chimney Route and rappel.